Saturday wrapup, Week 2

Those were the words of Roosevelt coach Neal La Hue, offering his assessment of the Reagan Rattlers following their second miraculous victory in as many games.

A week after their successful Hail Mary led to a double-overtime conquest of Warren, the Rattlers used another series of late-game heroics to stun Smithson Valley 10-7.

A Smithson Valley first down away from falling to 1-2, Reagan earned a shot at victory thanks to Zach Bean’s interception with 1:41 remaining. The Rattlers moved downfield in less than a minute, scoring their only touchdown on a 27-yard pass from Derrick Walls to Ryan Witte in which Witte avoided one defender and dove into the end zone between two more.

“That was crazy, wasn’t it?” coach David Wetzel said after the game, asking for but not really needing an answer.

Crazy is becoming a way of life for Reagan, which improved to a semi-surprising 2-1 in its first season since the graduation of record-setting running back Marcus Wright.

La Hue suspects that demonstrating they were and are more than Wright and a bunch of warm bodies is what drives the Rattlers.

“I think they want to prove they can win without him,” he said after Roosevelt beat Churchill 52-7 on Friday.

*Three weeks into the season, and we’re no further to figuring out how the season might pan out than we were at the start. Especially hard to rate are teams like Clark and MacArthur, who have looked great while compiling unblemished records against less-than-stellar competition.

No team sums up the dilemma better than Blanco. The only area team ranked in any of the AP’s five state polls, the Panthers have crushed their three opponents by a combined margin of 152 points. Yet those three opponents, with a 1-8 record between them, comprise one of the area’s weakest schedules.

Blanco isn’t the only team feasting on minnows. Of the 18 unbeaten teams in the San Antonio area, only two — Madison (6-3) and Stockdale (3-2) — boast strength of schedules above .500.

*Alamo Heights quarterback Drew Allen broke out of his semi-slump against Laredo United, passing for six touchdowns after throwing zero during the first two games. Allen, who threw for 367 yards, also bumped his season completion percentage nearly 10 points, from 41 to a hair under 50.

As well as Allen played, Mules coach Don Byrd said the breakout more to do with the continued improvement of his supporting cast, particularly on the offensive line and at receiver.

“None of our starters (on the line) took a snap last year, and none of our receivers really caught a ball last year,” Byrd said. “So you’re talking about a lot of inexperience. We took a huge step between the second and third week. You hope as they understand the offense more and gain confidence they’ll continue to grow.”

*With little brother Aaron grabbing all the headlines at tailback, it’s easy to forget what a key player safety Andrew Green is for Madison. Ever dependable, the senior turned in his best effort yet against New Braunfels, recording seven tackles, three pass breakups and blocking a kick.

One of those breakups was a jarring hit over the middle that knocked Unicorns receiver Josh Gomez senseless.

“He’s just so instinctive,” Mavericks coach Jim Streety said. “We’re real pleased with how he’s playing. One of our focuses this past week was for our defense to improve. We thought it did, and he was a big part of that.”

Not just a heavy hitter, Green also shook loose for a 34-yard punt return that set up what would prove to be the game-winning field goal midway through the third quarter.

Game of the night(s): Up by 16, down by 7, and finally up by 7 in the final minute to earn a 30-23 victory over Holy Cross. That was the roller coaster ride endured by Harlandale on Thursday en route to its second victory of the season. “It was a lot of fun,” Indians coach Isaac Martinez said, “and a lot of frustration.”

The frustration came as Harlandale’s 16-0 advantage evaporated, leaving them trailing 23-16 early in the fourth quarter. The fun came as the Indians fought back with two touchdowns in the final 7:11, including Justin Garcia’s game-winning TD run with 51 seconds left. “I was wondering if we might have scored too soon,” Martinez said. “But I was more than a little happy when we scored, because I felt like we’d played really well and the score didn’t show it.”

Performance of the night(s): There were much better statistical showings — Allen, San Antonio Christian quarterback Wilson Vick (27-34, 379 yards, six TDs); Clark running back Jock Tilghman (266 yards, six TDs). Though his numbers pale in comparison, we’ll go with Highlands’ Edward Rangel, who keyed a punishing ground game with 138 yards as the Owls earned their first victory in more than two years, 18-7 over McCollum.

Teammate Leonard Longoria, one of three Highlands backs to rush for more than 60 yards, added a pair of long TD runs.